The World's Largest Computer in 1951

  • Thread starter Thread starter wolram
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Computer
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around historical and technical aspects of significant machines and vehicles, including the ENIAC computer and the Russian Ekranoplan. Participants engage in a quiz-like format, posing questions and providing hints about various inventions, their specifications, and historical context.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes the ENIAC, detailing its size, weight, components, and power consumption, while noting its limited processing power compared to modern devices.
  • Another participant identifies the ENIAC as the machine described in the previous post.
  • Participants discuss a large vehicle that weighs 540 tons, can travel over land and water, and is hinted to be built in Russia, leading to speculation about its identity.
  • Some participants propose that the vehicle in question is the Russian Ekranoplan, explaining its design and operational principles related to ground effect.
  • There is a discussion about a vehicle that achieved over 188 miles per gallon, with participants speculating on its type and historical significance, including a mention of a Harley Davidson motorcycle from 1908.
  • One participant describes a crude device involving a wooden stand, a funnel, acid, and copper wire, prompting further questions about its purpose.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the identity of some machines, particularly the vehicle that achieved high fuel efficiency, as various guesses and clarifications are made. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the specifics of some inventions and their historical context.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the specifications and classifications of the vehicles discussed, particularly regarding the Ekranoplan's operational capabilities and the fuel efficiency claims of the motorcycle.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in the history of computing, engineering innovations, and the evolution of vehicle technology may find this discussion engaging.

  • #1,561
the north star
 
Computer science news on Phys.org
  • #1,562
yomamma said:
the north star
Correct. That's a clue.
 
  • #1,563
wait, the north star is a clue?
 
  • #1,564
Just popped in, honestrosewater, love the "what was its". I'm learning a lot from this thread. Thank you wolram for starting it!
 
  • #1,565
Do I have to repeat everything? :-p Yes, north star is a clue.

I love it too. Does Evo have a guess?
 
  • #1,566
the northern lights...? :biggrin:
 
  • #1,567
yomamma said:
the northern lights...? :biggrin:
No.

Moving from one hill to another, he became his own master.
the north star
 
  • #1,568
honestrosewater said:
Do I have to repeat everything? :-p Yes, north star is a clue.

I love it too. Does Evo have a guess?
Evo has a headache. Evo has had a headache for several weeks and is getting worried. :cry: I will have to sit on the sidelines and watch. Unless someone has some morphine they can slip into my computer. :confused:
 
  • #1,569
Evo said:
Evo has a headache. Evo has had a headache for several weeks and is getting worried. :cry: I will have to sit on the sidelines and watch. Unless someone has some morphine they can slip into my computer. :confused:

:frown: Could it be allergies? That's how the grass pollens affect me. And the strange part is that after 15 years, now Tsu is having problems as well.
 
  • #1,570
Ivan Seeking said:
:frown: Could it be allergies? That's how the grass pollens affect me. And the strange part is that after 15 years, now Tsu is having problems as well.
Part is allergies, part stress, part "old Evo is dying". :cry:
 
  • #1,571
Okay, I have to leave. Here are what the clues meant:
two hills: Holmes Hill Farms and Cedar Hill.
Became his own master: He was born a slave, escaped, and helped to abolish slavery in the US.
"The North Star" was the original name of his newspaper.
Frederick Douglass.[/color]
 
  • #1,572
K...I'm going to go now...ummmm...Evo, you can go...
 
  • #1,573
Although the original from 1927 was lost, the 1928 version survived. It was brought back to life in the eighties with a technology beyond its time.

Mercury
Ant
Hell
Bable
 
  • #1,574
Ivan Seeking said:
Mercury
Ant
Hell
Bable
Are these clues to the thing, or to the "technology beyond it's time?"
 
  • #1,575
Those are key words associated with the thing.
 
  • #1,576
honestrosewater said:
:smile: An A for creativity.
Thanks, Rosie. I was starting to think that nobody was going to get that.
 
  • #1,577
Ivan Seeking said:
Those are key words associated with the thing.
Mercury? As in messenger?

Ant? As in underground worker?

Hel? As in subterranean punishment? Or a name?

Babel? As in a great human project gone awry?
 
  • #1,578
Danger said:
Thanks, Rosie. I was starting to think that nobody was going to get that.
What did it mean?
 
  • #1,579
Mercury? As in messenger?
No

Ant? As in underground worker?
No

Hel? As in subterranean punishment? Or a name?
Holy cow, I should have said Hel, I think.

Babel? As in a great human project gone awry?
yes
 
  • #1,580
Ivan Seeking said:
Mercury? As in messenger?
No

Ant? As in underground worker?
No

Hel? As in subterranean punishment? Or a name?
Holy cow, I should have said Hel, I think.

Babel? As in a great human project gone awry?
yes
All very biblical. But not Adam and Eve. Instead, Adam and Fred, No?
 
  • #1,581
Another clue

Robot
 
  • #1,582
Ivan Seeking said:
Another clue

Robot
Check my last post. I already know the anser.
 
  • #1,583
zoobyshoe said:
Check my last post. I already know the anser.


:smile: Yep, sorry, I missed that.
 
  • #1,584
zoobyshoe said:
What did it mean?
Jimmy Hoffa... Teamsters boss... UAW... 'Detroit Iron'... ends up in a cement overcoat...
 
  • #1,585
Ivan Seeking said:
:smile: Yep, sorry, I missed that.
I knew as soon as I saw the dates. You've also mentioned this a couple times as a "favorite". For reasons that should be clear, the clues took some research.
 
  • #1,586
So the answer is the movie Metropolis. The soundtrack includes songs by Freddy Mercury and Adam Ant, Bable is a symbol in the movie and a song title from the modern soundtrack, and Hel was the name of the lost love of the mad scientist. This was the first time that the concept of a robot was used in a movie.
 
  • #1,587
Danger said:
Jimmy Hoffa... Teamsters boss... UAW... 'Detroit Iron'... ends up in a cement overcoat...
"Found cement" makes sence, but I don't see "Went looking for iron" really applying.
 
  • #1,588
Ivan Seeking said:
So the answer is the movie Metropolis. The soundtrack includes songs by Freddy Mercury and Adam Ant, Bable is a symbol in the movie and a song title from the modern soundtrack, and Hel was the name of the lost love of the mad scientist. This was the first time that the concept of a robot was used in a movie.
Correct! Your turn.
 
  • #1,589
Ivan Seeking said:
So the answer is the movie Metropolis. The soundtrack includes songs by Freddy Mercury and Adam Ant, Bable is a symbol in the movie and a song title from the modern soundtrack, and Hel was the name of the lost love of the mad scientist. This was the first time that the concept of a robot was used in a movie.
What the hell you talkin' about, Willis? Freddy and Adam's parents weren't born when that movie came out, and it was a silent anyhow. 1923 or some such.
 
  • #1,590
zoobyshoe said:
Correct! Your turn.

I'm sorry, was this going to be our little secret? :smile:
 

Similar threads

Is Alan Turing given too much credit when it comes to computers?
  • · Replies 29 ·
Replies
29
Views
5K
How to compute flexure and failure loads of acrylic sheets
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
15K